SECOND, our pressure is working on the ITU (International Telecommunication Union)! Thousands of you from over 100 countries called on the ITU to publicize and reject any proposals that would limit the openness of the internet, and we just delivered an open letter to the ITU leadership calling for greater transparency in the process.

Unexpectedly, the ITU Secretary-General is now recommending the ITU release its plans! And we have just 10 days to ensure the ITU council accepts his recommendation. If it does, this will be a huge step forward in prying open a closed institution and protecting the net, but still it's a long way to December when they will vote on these proposals.

This week, the International Telecommunication Union will be meeting in Geneva behind closed doors to discuss proposals that could impact the future of the open internet, and we have a chance to influence the conversation.

Leaked documents have shown that some of these proposals would give countries full control over "the information and communication infrastructure within their state" (proposed by China); license to inspect private email under the guise of searching for "malware" and "spam" (proposed by Russia); and even the ability to levy fees that would make it harder for us to access sites like Google and Facebook (proposed by Iran).

Several countries at the meetings this week are expected to call for greater transparency and accountability, but we have to push them. The ITU has done much good around the world, but that is not cause for expanding their mandate. And while there is some debate over what's going on internally and the precise makeup of these proposals, the closed nature of this process is only muddying the waters.

We have until Friday, so time is running out. Sign the petition to the right calling on the ITU to open up their discussions, and we'll deliver it to the ITU Council Working Group this week.

ACTA being voted down seemed nearly impossible only a few months ago, and opening up the ITU seemed unthinkable just last week. But we've shown how strong we are when we join forces as a movement and with others. That's why we're supporting the development of the Declaration for Internet Freedom. Check it out here, and add your voice to the discussion and your name to the five basic principles if you support them.